Chicago, you stole my heart. <3

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

What the hell is "Chi?"

Isn't that a tea?

[aragx6]

Nope it's a hair straightener!

I think most people who prefer Chicago's neighborhoods do so for the exact reason the OP seems to like Downtown. Not everyone is always looking for a homey neighborhood feel -- some people like skyscraper canyon.

Not sure what you do for a living, OP, but living in River North or the Loop isn't cheap. you'll need to budget about $1300-1500 minimum for a 1-bedroom unit in that area. If you don't want most of your take-home pay to got to rent and utilities, you're going to need to make at least 50K -- which would give you take-home pay of about 3K/month.

And if you can't stand winter, you're really going to struggle here. For someone from the Sun Belt, I would think it's overwhelmingly jarring really.

My advice? Come when it's cold and see if you can handle it, and while you're here get out of downtown and see more of Chicago's great neighborhoods.

[Jandur]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

What the hell is "Chi?"

I really wish I knew

Chi-town, chi-city, it's just terrible. Before Kanye started using it in his raps I knew some kids from Humboldt park that always said Chi. Not sure if thats where it originated but it's kinda tacky if you ask me.